Local Veteran: Camp Lejeune Marines Should Not Be Punished For Urinating On Dead Taliban Fighters

We spoke to local veterans Friday for their reaction on a marine lieutenant general reducing the punishment for a marine who pleaded guilty for urinating on dead bodies of Taliban fighters. One veteran says the marines deserve no punishment.

The news comes after a Camp Lejeune marine was court marshaled for allowing those he was in charge of to desecrate the bodies and record it video. The judge sentenced Staff Sgt. Joseph Chamblin to 30 days confinement, reduction in rank by three grades, a $2,000 fine and other punishments. Lieutenant General Richard Mills agreed before the court-martial to limit Chamblin's punishment to the loss of $500 in pay and reduction in rank by one grade. All punishments that one eastern carolina veteran says is unnecessary.

"I'll be honest with you. I don't think there should be any, we we were in Vietnam. There were so many times where the north Vietnamese or the Viet Cong would mutilate the bodies of several marines when they ran them over," said Veteran Verl Matthews

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Marine general will scale back the punishment announced by a military judge who presided at a court-martial of a Marine who pled guilty to urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters and posing for pictures with them in Afghanistan.

The judge announced a sentence for Staff Sgt. Joseph W. Chamblin of 30 days confinement, reduction in rank by three grades, a $2,000 fine and other punishments.

The Marine Corps said Chamblin pleaded guilty to wrongful desecration, failure to properly supervise junior Marines and posing for photos with battlefield casualties.

Lt. Gen. Richard Mills, who is overseeing the Chamblin case, agreed before the court-martial to limit his punishment to the loss of $500 in pay and reduction in rank by one grade.

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Camp Lejeune Officials said on Thursday one of their Marines pleaded guilty to charges he that violated the military order of conduct. Staff Sergeant Joseph Chamblin was charged with failing to properly supervise junior Marines, wrongfully posing for photographs with human casualties, and wrongfully urinating on the body of a deceased enemy combatant.

The caught-on-camera incident of Marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters was made public in January of 2012. Officials said the act likely occurred on or around July 27th of 2011.

A military judge ordered Chamblin to 30 days confinement, 60 days restriction, he must forfeit $500 per month for six months, pay a fine of $2,000, and the Staff Sergeant has been reduced in rank to a Lance Corporal.

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